1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to eyeglass holders and, in particular, to a lightweight, unobtrusive holder for holding and storing spectacles or eyeglasses while simultaneously providing protection for the eyeglasses when not in use by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to the Vision Council of America, approximately seventy-five percent (75%) of adults use some sort of vision correction. About sixty-four percent (64%) of adults wear eyeglasses, and about eleven percent (11%) wear contact lenses, either exclusively, or with glasses. Over half of all women and about forty-two percent (42%) of men wear glasses. Fourteen percent (14%) of Americans use eyeglasses purchased from a drugstore. Approximately eight-five percent (85%) of the American population also wear sunglasses. Sunglasses can either be prescription or used recreationally to protect the eyes from damage from the sun.
Eyeglasses, including prescription and/or sunglasses, generally are comprised of a frame bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. Temple bars hingedly attached to the front of the frame and extend backward therefrom. A bridge containing nose pads connects the two lenses. The temple bars and nose pads support the glasses on the face of the user.
As technology advances, so does the cost of prescription eyewear and sunglasses. Consequently, many individuals will place their eyewear—which can be a substantial personal investment—in portable cases to prevent them from getting damaged. However, though the protective cases may offer some protection for the glasses, this does not necessarily prevent the cases containing the glasses from getting lost or misplaced.
Often times, users find themselves without a protective case. For example, when retiring to bed, the user simply places his or her eyeglasses on the nightstand. Alternatively, the user may get tired of wearing the eyeglasses and remove them temporarily increasing the risk of misplacing them or forgetting where the eyeglasses were placed. Still others may simply place their eyeglasses in either their shirt breast pocket or pants pocket. However, placing eyeglasses alone in a shirt pocket runs the risk that the glasses may slip out and become damaged when the user bends over. If placed in pants pockets, there is a risk that the glasses will be damaged when the user sits down or otherwise bends at the waist.
To solve these problems, several products have emerged. For example, one product has incorporated a carabiner, or D-clip, into the frame of the glasses in order to attach the frame to the user's clothing, belt loop, backpack, purse or other carried article (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0110366). However, this product does not offer much protection as the user's movement may cause the glasses to bounce back and forth and damage the glasses. Still another product attaches a clip to the temple portion of an eyeglass frame so that the eyeglasses may be clipped or attached to the user's clothes (U.S. Pat. No. 7,677,722). Various other clips have also been created in the quest for protection of eyewear including U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,727, US 2007/0006425, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 328,086, U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,727, and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 312,773.
While the products described above aid in minimizing the loss of glasses by the user by attaching the eyeglasses to the user's clothing, these products require that the clips be somehow attached to the frame of the eyeglasses during use. This takes away from the inherent aesthetic appeal of the eyeglasses. There also still remains a need to simultaneously provide protection of the eyewear when it is attached to the user's clothing as the clips described above afford minimal protection of eyeglasses. Additionally, the required attachment of the clips to the eyeglasses adds weight and makes for heavier eyeglasses which become uncomfortable after an extended period of use by the user, especially on the nose. The present invention corrects the shortcomings of the currently available eyeglass clips.
In the present invention, not only do the eyeglasses remain with the user by attaching to an article of clothing (e.g., shirt pocket or shirt collar), but the present invention also provides protection of the eyewear. The present invention also serves as a constant reminder to the user of security of a large personal investment, i.e., the user's eyewear. A user should be able to carry his or her eyewear with him or her in a stylish and unobtrusive manner while simultaneously protect the eyewear from becoming lost or damaged. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple to use, lightweight, unobtrusive and convenient holder for securing, transporting and protecting eyeglasses.